The dust has settled on the 2024 NFL Draft class, and as teams begin their offseason evaluations, the true impact of those rookie campaigns is coming into sharp focus. While the initial hype surrounding top picks often dictates narratives, the reality of professional football means success is earned year by year. For franchises like the Washington Commanders, who are looking to rebound from a challenging 2025 season (a 5-12 finish following a strong 2024), the performance of their 2024 draftees is crucial to their long-term trajectory.
Rookie Impact and Positional Overhauls
The 2024 NFL Draft class was widely anticipated to reshape defenses and bolster offenses across the league. Now, with a full season of tape to review—and for some, a change in coaching staff looming—teams are assessing where their early investments have paid off and where they need immediate reinforcement.
Linebacker Evaluation: A Case Study in Development
The linebacker position is a perfect barometer for assessing rookie success, demanding both physicality against the run and elite coverage skills. Taking the Washington Commanders as an example, the development of their 2024 linebacker additions is paramount, especially given the uncertain future of aging veterans.
The Commanders' 2025 position review highlighted the stellar, yet potentially concluding, performance of 35-year-old Bobby Wagner, who posted 162 tackles—his fourth-highest single-season total. Wagner’s presence, while statistically dominant, underscores the urgency for younger players to step up. This brings us directly to the 2024 draftees and early second-year players who need to ascend.
Jordan Magee, a former fifth-round pick who missed most of his true rookie year (2024) due to injury, showed significant promise in 2025. Healthy and integrated, Magee recorded 54 tackles and displayed the sideline-to-sideline speed that made him attractive coming out of Temple. His improvement suggests that the 2024 draft may have yielded a hidden gem ready for a starting role—a critical development if the team moves on from Wagner.
The Wagner Question and Future Play-Calling
The potential departure of a player of Wagner’s caliber creates a massive void, not just in tackles, but in defensive leadership. His future is intrinsically linked to the new defensive coordinator the Commanders will hire. If Wagner decides to return, he offers consistency and mentorship. If he departs, the responsibility falls heavily on the shoulders of the younger cohort, including Magee and other 2024 selections.
“The next logical step for Magee is to be a full-time starter on defense,” notes analysis from Commanders.com. Magee’s ability to cover running backs—a noted weakness in the defense previously—makes him a prime candidate to take the reins. Furthermore, there is speculation that Magee could become the on-field defensive play-caller, a role requiring high football IQ and command, which coaches seem eager to develop.
Assessing Mid-to-Late Round Hits
The success of the 2024 Draft class isn't solely measured by Day 1 picks. For teams struggling with the salary cap or needing depth, finding starters in Rounds 3 through 7 is the hallmark of a successful draft year. The Commanders' situation suggests they need immediate contributions from players drafted two seasons ago to avoid significant free-agency spending.
For the wider NFL, the 2024 class offered several surprises. Teams that targeted the offensive line early are now seeing whether those investments are anchoring their run games or if they are susceptible to the pressure that plagued their 2025 campaigns. Conversely, teams that focused on quarterback development in 2024 are now at a crucial inflection point: does the rookie signal-caller look ready to take the starting job in 2026, or will the organization be forced back into the expensive quarterback market?
Looking Ahead to the 2026 Roster Construction
The 2024 draftees are entering their third professional seasons, often considered the make-or-break period for non-elite players. For many organizations, the decisions made this offseason regarding extensions and free-agent signings will be heavily influenced by how confident they are in their 2024 core.
If a team like Washington can secure continuity on the defensive side—re-signing Wagner if possible, while simultaneously fast-tracking Magee into a leadership role—they can redirect free-agency resources toward filling immediate gaps, such as potentially upgrading the offensive line or adding a proven veteran presence at tight end, another area currently under review.
The 2024 NFL Draft may not be remembered for generational talents immediately, but rather for the foundational players who quietly developed into indispensable starters by the time their rookie contracts expire. The next few months of coaching decisions and player evaluations will determine which franchises successfully leveraged that draft capital into sustained success.
